Daniel in the den of lions Daniel 6:1-28

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1 When the Medes and the

Persians conquered the
Babylonian Empire, they
extended their dominion
over almost all the Old
Testament World.

2 Darius, king of this vast

domain, had chosen
over a hundred princes
to help him govern the
people. King Darius had
a high regard for the
intelligence of other
men.

3 And Daniel, because of

his great wisdom, was a
favourite of the king.
Daniel was given the
place of authority over
all the other princes.
Only the king could tell
Daniel what to do.
4 Because of Daniel’s
position with the
kingdom, the other
princes resented him.
Jealously made them
bitter and they plotted
to get rid of Daniel.

5 If Daniel were out of the

way, one of them would
be put in his place.

6 So the princes started to

spy on Daniel. They
watched every move
that Daniel made. They
were hoping their leader
would do something
wrong so they could run
and tell the king.

7 But Daniel was a good

man. Day after day
Daniel lived as the Lord
would have him live, and
the princes were greatly
disappointed to find
nothing wrong with
Daniel’s conduct.

8 Spying on Daniel was

proving to be a waste of
time. To rob this man of
his position and
authority, the princes
knew they must think of
a plan…
9 … a plan that would trick
Daniel into disobeying
the king! And it wasn’t
long before the evil men
came up with a devious
idea.

10 The princes gathered

together outside the
palace and asked for
permission to appear
before the king.

11 The king was surprised

when he heard the
request. Such a thing
was not at all common,
as the rulers of the
provinces were called
together only by a royal
decree.

12 Still, the king was

curious. What was it the
princes wanted? It must
be very important,
thought the king,
otherwise the princes
would never dare to ask
for such a thing.

13 So the king gave them

permission to come
before him, and the one
who had been chosen to
speak for the group
stepped forward with
the usual greeting.
14 ‘King Darius, live
forever,’ he said, and
then he went on to tell
the king that all the
princes of the kingdom
were anxious that a new
law be made as a
special honour to their
beloved ruler.

15 No one throughout the

entire kingdom was to
ask anyone – God or
man – for anything for
30 days, unless it be
asked of the king. And if
anyone broke the law,
that person would be
thrown in the den of
lions.

16 King Darius was

flattered by such a
request. It didn’t even
occur to the king that
Daniel might have been
left out of the planning,
so he signed their
decree and made it law.

17 When Daniel heard

about the law, he knew
in his heart that this was
a trap that had been set
for him.

18 Daniel knew the next

time he got on his knees
before his open window
to ask God for divine
guidance and continued
blessing, the men who
had plotted this thing
would report him to the
king.
19 Daniel could have closed
his window and prayed
to God in secret. But
Daniel knew that to do
such a thing would be
cowardly. He also knew
that regardless of
anything, God’s will in
his life must be done.

20 So Daniel continued to
pray before his open
window just as he had
done before.

21 And this was the

moment the princes
were waiting for. Daniel
was breaking the law!
According to the signed
decree, Daniel would be
thrown to the lions!

22 When the princes went

to the king and
demanded that Daniel
be thrown to the lions,
King Darius realised the
cruel purpose of their
law. This was no law to
honour the king. It was
an evil plot to get rid of
Daniel.

23 King Darius was very

fond of Daniel. He
considered Daniel a
trustworthy friend and
he greatly relied on the
judgment of this wise
man. But the king was
trapped.
24 According to the law,
Daniel must die.

25 King Darius spent the

day searching through
the laws, hoping to find
a way he could save his
friend, but the law was
clear. Once the king had
signed the law, not even
the king himself could
undo what he had done.

26 With the setting of the

sun, the king was forced
to command that Daniel
be seized and taken to
the place where the
lions were kept.

27 The animals were crazy

with hunger and
whatever was thrown to
them was instantly torn
to pieces.

28 The king told Daniel how

sorry he was – how he’d
been trapped into doing
this thing, and how,
according to the law of
the Medes and the
Persians, not even the
king could revoke a
royal decree.
29 And then, Daniel was
thrown to the lions…

30 … and a great stone was

brought and placed over
the hole…

31 … and the seal of the

king was placed on the
covering so that no one
would dare to remove it.

32 The king returned to the

palace with a very heavy
heart.

33 All night long the king

thought about Daniel
and wondered if he
would ever again hear
the voice of his friend.
Daniel must have known
about the law, and yet
Daniel continued to
pray. Was it possible
that God would save
Daniel from the lions?
34 When the rays of the
morning sun told King
Darius that his night of
despair was over, the
king hurriedly dressed
himself…

35 … and he ran to the

place where the lions
were kept and ordered
the stone be taken
away.

36 The stone was removed

and the king cried out,
‘Daniel, servant of the
living God, is your God
able to deliver you from
the lions?’

37 And the King Darius

listened, hoping to hear
the voice of his friend.
‘O king, live forever,‘
came the reply.

38 ‘My God has sent His

angel, and has shut the
lions’ mouths. They have
not hurt me. God found
me innocent before Him
and also before you, O
king.’
39 The king was happy to
hear the voice of Daniel
and he commanded that
his friend be taken out
of the lions’ den at once.

40 Then the king made a

further command that
the wicked princes – the
men who had plotted
against Daniel – be
thrown to the lions in
Daniel’s place.

41 And then the king signed

another law. This law
said that all men were to
tremble and fear God.
The God of Daniel was
the living God, and lives
forever.

42 ‘God’s kingdom will not

be destroyed or end. He
rescues and He saves.
He performs signs and
wonders in the heavens
and on the earth. He has
rescued Daniel from the
power of the lions.’
(Daniel 6:26-27).

43